Apocalypse comes early for abandoned Six Flags site

New Orleans amusement park, shuttered just before Hurricane Katrina hit, is an eerie example of what happens in our absence.

Ever seen the series "Life After People" on the History Channel? It presents a fascinating look at what would happen to our modern world if humans simply vanished off the face of the Earth. Besides using state-of-the-art computer animation to advance the decay of places like New York City and Paris, it weaves in footage of real-life places around the world that have been left behind.

This Six Flags amusement park, abandoned just before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, would be a perfect candidate for that series. In the more than five years that the complex has been closed, only a few trespassers have visited what was once a destination for fun. It's a rather macabre setting — echoing some of the apocalyptic scenes I've seen in AMC's zombie drama, "The Walking Dead".

One filmmaker managed to sneak inside and shoot video of the silent rides, decaying rooms, and plants sharing space with carousels. So it won't attract even more things that go bump in the night, officials have slated for the park to be demolished in January of next year.